It takes a certain amount of determination and even a bit of a strong will to become a pastor. Do you remember those New Testament Greek vocabulary cards? I used to carry them in my shirt pocket and, whenever I had a moment, I would try to burn more vocabulary into my brain. Or, what about keeping the definitions straight in Systematic Theology 201? And, which church father was it who developed the most thorough thesis on the substitutionary death of our Savior?
Most lay people don’t fully grasp the kind of strong will it takes to become a pastor. Of course, that initial training in seminary only represents the beginning. Once we pastors obtain our first assignment and actually begin to minister to actual people, then the real challenges begin.
Usually rather soon in our pastoral ministries, we come upon a situation where someone in our congregation pushes back—hard. While we remain quite certain that we understand what needs to be done and have even mapped out a very sound strategy, our parishioner doesn’t agree. So, what do we do?
If we spend time in prayer, humbling ourselves before the Lord, we soon realize that the best way to handle these difficult situations—the one’s that call for significant compromise—is to learn how to extend and receive grace. Part of our personal spiritual formation as pastors requires us to mature into men and women who can maintain a balance between our most sincere convictions, but also see the other side of issues. We have to learn where we can compromise and where we can’t. We simply cannot make every issue a hill on which we are ready to die.
If you will click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and then listen to Podcast No. 195, you will hear me talk in greater detail about this subject of handling what I call “compromising situations.” And, by that term, I don’t mean situations that compromise your faith or your moral integrity. Rather, I’m talking about situations that can best be handled by compromise—extending and receiving grace.
In order to build a relationship with the people God has called us to serve, we pastors must learn how to allow the Holy Spirit’s power to enable God’s grace to flow through us and touch the hearts of those in our care. That’s not an easy lesson to learn. But, it’s a very important one. If you’ve pastored for any time at all, I’m sure you agree.
Once again, I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to my new book, The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. You may pre-order this book at Amazon.com by clicking here.
This book gives information about how to make your sermons memorable. And, after all, as ministers we do want the people we serve to remember what we say when we share what God has laid on our hearts. Don’t we?
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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.
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